MILFORD — The Milford Police Department and Milford School District released a joint statement Monday afternoon about the threats that were made to the school district Thursday afternoon, causing the district to close Friday and many students to not return to school Monday morning.

Milford Police Chief Cecilia Ashe explained the facts leading up to the current state of the case.

At approximately 1:20 p.m. March 7, Thomas Caffrey, 59 of Lincoln, entered the Milford School District office. He dropped off a letter containing a district access key card and a building key from a prior employee of the district, Chief Ashe said.

The investigation began after the Milford School District administration contacted the Milford Police Department. The police were informed that Mr. Caffrey was agitated when dropping off the letter.

The letter that he left for the district read, “She is done, if my husband gets upset there are not enough police or National Guard to stop him. You have been warned.”

He was also a former employee of the school district.

Each school was then put in a low-level lockdown after the district office received the letter.

After the threats were made, there was allegedly a suspect who matched Mr. Caffrey’s description banging on the side doors of Milford Central Academy.

A full lockdown was put into action for both Milford Central Academy and Milford High School.

It was determined that the subject banging on the school doors was not Mr. Caffrey.

The district and student resource officers created a plan to dismiss all the students safely because Mr. Caffrey’s location was unknown.

The investigators attempted to contact Mr. Caffrey about the note, but they were unable to reach him by phone or in person, explained Chief Ashe. Attempts at contact were made all through the night until early Friday morning but remained unsuccessful.

The district decided it was in the best interest of the staff and students to close all schools the following day.

“It was determined by the school district to close the schools on March 8, 2024 as a precaution to keep all Milford students safe due to the police being unable to locate Caffrey at that time,” said Chief Ashe. “This also allowed the police department and school district to develop a safety plan to safely bring back the students today on March 11.”

After consulting with the Delaware Department of Justice, an agreement was made for the investigators to go before the Justice of the Peace Court to obtain a warrant for Mr. Caffrey on four counts of harassment.

Although the police department has not located Mr. Caffrey at this point, they are continuing their efforts.

“Investigators continued to work tirelessly using all investigative measures to locate Caffrey, but Caffrey continued to evade law enforcement,” said Chief Ashe.

The police department released information that the suspect is driving a gray 2012 Nissan Titan with Delaware registration CL64342 or the vanity tag VF93.

Many community members have raised concerns about Mr. Caffrey still being undetected by police.

“I can ensure the parents of the Milford School District, students and their staff, the Milford Police Department is doing everything that they can do to locate Mr. Caffrey,” said Chief Ashe. “As a parent myself, I understand the concerns that parents and staff members may have expressed over the past few days.

“However, also as a law enforcement officer, we have to continue to balance the overall public safety and integrity of investigations that will continue to prosecute and bring people to justice when they do these actions.”

Dr. Bridget Amory, the superintendent of the Milford School District, also spoke about the incident.

“We would just like to remind everyone that the safety and well-being of our students, our staff and our community members remain a top priority,” said Dr. Amory. “Every threat that we are receiving is being treated with the utmost seriousness and we are dedicated to upholding a secure learning environment for all.”

Schools are offering additional resources for students this week for any students in need, Dr. Amory added.

Many parents expressed concerns through social media and conversation and stated that they would not send their children to school this week. However, the district believes the students are now in a safe space where they can continue to learn.

“We highly encourage that you keep your students in school,” said Dr. Amory. “Based on our work with law enforcement, we can confirm our district is safe and secure.”